1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for displaying an EPG guide bar.
2. Background of the Related Art
Generally, the progression status of broadcasting a TV program is displayed as a time shifting bar or as a circular form such as a watch.
For instance, a horizontal bar is frequently used for a computer or a TV set. Such a bar can display a limited portion of a program on a screen, corresponding to one hour or half an hour.
FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a screen on which a time shifting bar is displayed according to a related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, such a bar generally has an indicator which depending on the progress of the program shifts from a left end where the program starts to a right end where the program ends. In other words, the indicator directs the progress extent of the current broadcasting program or the remaining extent of the program.
The bar displayed on the screen is tuned to the TV set to be used for indicating a record extent of the program on air. Generally, the TV set is equipped with a built-in memory enabling to record about one hour of broadcast program. Besides, the lengths of broadcast programs are different.
For instance, there may be a broadcast programs which lasts for half an hour, one hour, or the more.
In this case, the bar has an indicator indicating an record extent of the program as shown in FIG. 1. And, the indicator displays the progress of data recording in a memory having a capacity of one hour. In other words, the presently broadcasted program is continuously stored in the memory. When the broadcast program of one hour is completely stored in the memory having a capacity of one hour, the front parts of the contents stored in the memory are erased in order and, simultaneously, the contents of the program in progress are stored in the parts from which the previously-stored data are erased. In this case, the indicator moves slowly from the left end to the right end of the guide bar while the contents of the program in progress are stored in the memory. Namely, the indicator moves from left to right of the guide bar for an hour. After one hour, the indicator starts to move from right to left of the bar. Therefore, at least two broadcast programs may be stored in the memory entirely or in part. Instead, a single broadcast program may be stored in the memory entirely or in part.
However, in accordance with the above-explained related arts, the memory stores the contents of the programs broadcasted through one channel consecutively with an interval of one hour therein. And, the indicator of the bar indicates the data storage extent in the memory having a capacity of one hour. Hence, a viewer fails to check how far the presently broadcasted program is in progress as well as how much the memory is used for storing the data.
For instance, the viewer may leave the TV set temporarily for other purpose during watching a TV program. In this case, the viewer, who wishes to watch the missing part of the program, needs to know how far the program has run using the guide bar. If knowing how far the program that the viewer missed and how much the memory is used for recording the program, the viewer manipulates a key panel or a remote controller to keep up with the missing parts, i.e. time shifting to the starting point of the missing part stored in the memory. However, the guide bar and indicator of the guide bar fail to indicate the exact location of the missing part. This is because the indicator does not indicate the running extent of the presently broadcasted program but the storage extent of the memory.
Meanwhile, in the guide bar according to the related art shown in FIG. 1, the indicator moves within the guide bar having a fixed area. Such a technology, which is generally used for a scale or a speedometer of a car, fails to be applied to the case that the length of the program exeeds the maximum range of the scale.
For another instance, the TV broadcast programs have different lengths. It is substantially impossible to indicate the starting and ending points of the respective programs while carrying out recording/erasing such progras in/from the memory having the capacity of one hour. In other words, when a program of at least one hour is recorded, the guide bar having a length equivalent to the capacity of the one-hour memory is supposed to be located at the right end of the guide bar. Therefore, in order to indicate that the program has been recorded for at least an hour, another bar is necessary to show up on the screen.